Labels

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Alfred the Great

So, as I was preparing for Homeschool this month, I noticed we would be talking about knights, castles, kings, coats of arms etc. So, I emailed my family to get some family crests from our family to show our kids. As I was looking through the family history website, my awesome brother Bryan created, I found a picture of Alfred the Great of Wessex, England. I was so excited because that's who we studied about in history this week, and he is like our 39th great grandfather!!

Anyways, he was one of England's first kings. England was getting invaded and attacked by the Vikings, on all sides. All of the other kings (there was not one king over the whole country at this time, just in smaller areas) couldn't stand up to the Vikings. Alfred the Great was the first English king to defeat the Vikings.

When they were first attacked by the Vikings it was Christmas day and the English were not prepared. Alfred hid in the countryside pretending not to be king. It is said that he was scolded by a peasant woman for burning the cakes she asked him to watch over. So, for homeschool we made Alfred cakes- basically English scones-yummy! (We didn't burn ours though).This is how they turned out.We also made Alfred the Great statues. This is the inscription on the real Alfred the Great statue:

Alfred found learning dead and he restored it

Education neglected and he revived it

The laws powerless and he gave them force

The church debased and he raised it

The land ravaged by a fearful enemy from which he delivered it

Alfred’s name will live as long as mankind shall respect the past

I also found out that George Washington is related to Alfred the Great. So, in probably a round about way I am related to him to. COOL!

Anyways, in other things. I had to take this picture of Robert loving Talia during school. They love each other so much!Isabelle started acting classes this week. She is loving it so much!!! It was all she could talk about the whole night of her class. It makes me so happy!